"Sasuke... you're finally awake!"
Tears of excitement streamed down Naruto's face.
He had genuinely feared that Sasuke, even if he woke up, might become something like an Ōtsutsuki.
Would Sasuke still recognize himself as a ninja, or even as a human? That had been uncertain.
But now, seeing Sasuke like this, Naruto felt relieved.
"Sasuke! They said you would become a new Ōtsutsuki. Why do you still look... the same?"
Sasuke was about to explain when Isshiki suddenly erupted in anger.
"Damn it... did the awakening fail?"
"Of course, you're just a lowly creature. Even awakening the Ōtsutsuki bloodline failed!"
"You made me... expose myself prematurely. Damn it..."
"Damn it... damn it... you all deserve to die!"
Isshiki's eyes glowed with a blood-red light.
At this moment, Isshiki seemed like a beast driven solely by slaughter.
An intense killing intent erupted instantly.
Sasuke stepped forward from behind Naruto.
"Perhaps I should phrase it differently. I did awaken the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, but I didn't lose my human bloodline."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Naruto was stunned.
What did Sasuke mean by awakening the Ōtsutsuki bloodline without losing his human bloodline?
"Just remember, the Uchiha clan is no weaker than any Ōtsutsuki!"
In an instant, Sasuke shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
He appeared in front of Isshiki in the blink of an eye.
The iconic Konoha Whirlwind was unleashed.
Isshiki raised his hand to block, but in the next moment, the force of the collision sent him flying.
Seeing this, Naruto was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Sasuke hadn't even activated his Sharingan... Wait, Sasuke's left eye had always maintained the Rinnegan state before. Why had it disappeared now?
Had awakening the bloodline caused Sasuke to lose all these powers?
"How... how can your power be so strong?"
"Why?"
Isshiki stabilized himself and looked at Sasuke in shock.
He couldn't understand why Sasuke possessed such strength. This was power that even the more noble Ōtsutsuki clan members could barely unleash!
"Hmph! Because I am an Uchiha. The Uchiha clan stands above the Ōtsutsuki!"
With that, Sasuke accelerated again, engaging Isshiki in close combat.
The scene that followed was one of Sasuke charging recklessly, his speed terrifying.
In terms of taijutsu, he actually managed to suppress Isshiki.
Even Kaguya was stunned.
As a fellow Ōtsutsuki, Kaguya knew just how formidable Isshiki's combat abilities were.
Yet now, even Sasuke was able to suppress him.
Had Sasuke truly become a new Ōtsutsuki, or not?
If he had succeeded, shouldn't Sasuke have taken on the appearance of an Ōtsutsuki?
But Sasuke still looked human.
If he hadn't, how could he possess such power?
Kaguya felt utterly confused.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Itachi suddenly collapsed to the ground, howling in pain.
"Ah...!"
"What... what is this feeling?"
Everyone turned to look at Itachi.
He was writhing in agony, biting down hard as if enduring unimaginable pain.
Everyone was puzzled. Tsunade stepped forward to check on Itachi's condition.
She found that his chakra fluctuations were incredibly intense.
But when she tried to examine him more closely, a powerful force repelled her, sending her flying.
Tsunade landed, staring at Itachi in shock.
"What's wrong with him?" the others asked.
Tsunade shook her head, unsure. "I don't know. His chakra fluctuations are so intense that it seems like his chakra is growing!"
Suddenly, Itachi's screams stopped. He gasped for breath, then slowly raised his head.
His eyes met the others', and everyone froze.
Itachi's eyes had returned to the Sharingan state, but now they had four tomoe.
A four-tomoe Sharingan? This... this had never happened before in the Uchiha clan.
Itachi, unaware of the change in his eyes, only felt that his ocular power had increased dramatically. At the same time, a more powerful force seemed to be brewing within him.
He raised his hand, and a red glow appeared in his palm.
This red chakra resembled the chakra of his Susanoo, but its color was more intense and pure.
The red glow was tinged with white light...
What was going on?
It was as if some shackle within the Uchiha bloodline had been broken.
And all these changes seemed... to be connected to Sasuke.
Itachi looked up at Sasuke, unsure why he felt influenced by Sasuke's power.
But it didn't feel like a direct influence.
It was hard to explain.
"Itachi, what's wrong?" Tsunade asked.
Itachi frowned. "I don't know. I feel like the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai has changed somehow. But I don't know why this sudden change occurred. Maybe it's related to Sasuke."
"But... I don't understand. If it really is related to Sasuke, how could he affect me?"
The Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai had changed?
What did that mean?
If Sasuke and Itachi were brothers, even if their Kekkei Genkai underwent changes, they shouldn't affect each other like this.
It didn't make sense.
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly turned to look at Itachi.
'Itachi... seems to have gained a power similar to mine. Although it's faint, it's undoubtedly the new power I gained after fusing with the Ōtsutsuki.'
'Interesting. When one person ascends, even the chickens and dogs rise to heaven?'
'Why did Itachi's Kekkei Genkai change along with mine?'
For a moment, Sasuke was also puzzled.
But Isshiki seized this opportunity to counterattack.
Being suppressed by someone he considered a lowly creature had filled him with rage.
"Die... you lowly creature!"
A black rod shot straight toward Sasuke's forehead.
But in that instant, Sasuke slowly turned his head.
His red eyes locked onto Isshiki.
"Sharingan... activate!"
In a flash, the burst of ocular power shattered the black rod before it could even reach Sasuke.
Isshiki stared at the fragments of the rod in his hand, dumbfounded.
He looked at Sasuke, utterly shocked.
This kid... this lowly creature's eyes... why did they make his blood feel like it had stopped flowing?
This... this absolute suppression of a lower being by a higher one... why was it happening now?
What... what was this power?
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